TOUGH GUY

07.17.14

Snowden Is Cool With Going to Gitmo

AFP/Getty

In an interview with Guardian Editor in Chief Alan Rusbridger and reporter Ewen MacAskill in Moscow, Edward Snowden declares that, “Regardless of what happens, if I end up in chains in Guantánamo I can live with that.” Snowden was asked if he’d rather be in the West, to which he responded, “I’m much happier here in Russia than I would be in facing an unfair trial in which I can’t even present a public-interest defense to a jury of my peers.” He went on to say, “We’ve asked the government again and again to provide for a fair trial, and they’ve declined, and I feel very fortunate to have received asylum.” Snowden also responded to those who have accused him of soft-pedaling his stance on Russia, claiming, “I’ve been totally open about the fact that I disapprove of the majority of the recent laws in Russia on Internet censorship and surveillance.” In the interview, Snowden took the opportunity to urge journalists, doctors, accountants, priests, and others dealing with confidential information to encrypt communications.